When you need comprehensive, conservative spine care, Spine Team Texas provides specialized services close to home. With the opening of their clinic in Richardson last year, Spine Team Texas has followed through on their commitment to meeting the needs of our growing community and treating spine disorders conservatively whenever possible. You no longer have to travel long distances to receive spine-specialized treatment from award-winning, innovative providers.

Spine Team Texas has been established in the North Texas area for over 10 years, starting with their flagship clinic in Southlake. Today their six locations in the Metroplex serve patients with surgical and nonsurgical options for relief from spine pain. The conservative treatment model and team approach at Spine Team Texas has a proven success record. Through the use of minimally invasive spine surgery techniques, patients are able to resume normal activities and return to job responsibilities sooner and with fewer modifications, providing the best possible outcome for the patient.

Meet Spine Team Texas Board-Certified Specialists in Richardson

Dr. Anthony Berg is a spine pain anesthesiologist who specializes in acute and chronic spine pain interventional procedures and is a partner at Spine Team Texas. Dr. Berg’s primary role is to help patients manage chronic conditions of the spine. “The uniqueness of our group is our emphasis on conservative care that escalates appropriately when indicated and not before,” he said. “Surgery is only indicated when we’re assured a strong level of success.” Innovative options, such as spinal cord stimulators, can offer significant improvements when helping relieve patients of chronic spine pain.

Dr. Berg has worked and continues to work closely with industry leaders to develop new generations of spinal cord stimulators to offer pain relief to a wider range of patients who previously did not qualify for implantation. “Spinal cord stimulators use small amounts of electricity to scramble the signal of pain before it reaches the brain,” Dr. Berg explained. “I encourage anyone living with chronic spine pain to see if a spinal cord stimulator is right for them.”

The devices are typically implanted in patients who have found other methods of relief for back and leg pain ineffective. After about six weeks following implantation, patients’ restrictions are lifted and mobility is restored. “I’ve had patients return to golfing, mountain biking, and even skydiving,” said Dr. Berg. “The majority of patients are able to come off most, if not all, of their pain medications.”

Dr. Leonard Kibuule is an orthopedic spine surgeon specializing in minimally invasive spine surgery techniques and a Spine Team Texas partner. Dr. Kibuule offers to patients the OLIF procedure—an innovative spine surgery for those with low back and/or leg pain due to degenerative disc disease, scoliosis, spinal instability, or other diseases and conditions that have not responded to nonsurgical treatment.

During a traditional spinal fusion of the lower spine, surgeons would make an incision in the abdominal wall to remove the disc and place the implant, often requiring the skills of not only a spine surgeon but also a vascular surgeon because the path is strewn with critical blood vessels. Later surgeons began shifting their surgical technique by entering the body laterally (from the side), but still critical muscles had to be cut in the process, which can often lead to muscle injury and weakness.

“Spine surgeons have continued to find innovative ways for accessing the spine and avoid critical structures while decreasing complications,” said Dr. Kibuule. The oblique lumbar interbody fusion (OLIF) technique has now provided a way to reach the spine that is neither purely anterior nor lateral but maximizes outcomes by taking advantage of the best of both procedures. “For nearly two years now, a good portion of my practice has involved this procedure,” Dr. Kibuule continued. “The OLIF requires a smaller incision and results in less scarring, a quicker recovery, and crucial vessels manipulation is avoided.” While the vast majority of patients needing spinal fusion are good candidates for the OLIF procedure, Dr. Kibuule also offers many other minimally invasive spine surgery procedures.

Dr. Carver Wilkins, physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist, provides acute spine pain management and performs diagnostic procedures to determine the severity of the patient’s spine disorder. His patients with neck and lower back pain, which often radiates to their extremities, have found relief with ultrasound-guided injections. These safe, in-office injections are done without anesthesia and are perfect for patients who are at-risk for sedation such as pregnant women or populations of geriatric patients.

The ultrasound allows Dr. Wilkins to provide an assessment of the problem area which often mimics neck or low back pain such as the hip or shoulder. A precisely targeted injection can then be performed. “The capabilities of the ultrasound machine are amazing,” said Dr. Wilkins. “I can visualize muscles, tendons, and nerves in tremendous detail to determine if a problem exists. I can then address the area with greater accuracy than ever before. As a result, an ultrasound evaluation serves as both a diagnostic and interventional guidance tool at the same time.”

Spine Team Texas is a comprehensive spine center specializing in the treatment of neck and back pain, ranging from simple back or neck strains to the most complex spine surgeries. Through in-depth knowledge and a team approach to care, Spine Team Texas physicians and medical staff are dedicated to treating patients conservatively through education, spine-focused physical therapy, nonsurgical treatments, and minimally invasive spine surgery as a last resort or when medically necessary.

Established in December 2004, Spine Team Texas is headquartered in Southlake, Texas, and has full-service clinics across the Metroplex, including Rockwall, Fort Worth (Alliance), Bedford, North Dallas (Richardson), and Allen, Texas. For more information, please visit SpineTeamTexas.com or connect with them on Facebook at Facebook.com/SpineTeamTexas. Call 972-772-9600 today to schedule your full spine consultation!